Sengoku seemed to be in a very good mood today. When Diarmuid and the others arrived at his office, he was sitting happily in front of the tea table, sipping tea.
"You've all arrived," Sengoku said with a smile.
Garp didn't reply to him at all. He sat on the sofa on his own and poured a cup of tea for himself. Meanwhile, Zephyr asked, "What is it?"
"I have some good news to tell you all," Sengoku said with a smile.
After speaking, he picked up a document from the coffee table and shook it in his hand. "Lieutenant Commander Diarmuid, congratulations."
Diarmuid was stunned for a moment, then he walked forward two steps excitedly and asked, "Admiral, is it a promotion?"
"The Marines have always been clear about rewards and punishments. This time, you deserve the greatest credit for the Battle of Edd War," Sengoku said with a nod.
Hearing this, Diarmuid's heart was on fire. It's happening! I'm getting a promotion after my very first mission at Headquarters!
At the same time, he felt how smart his actions had been all this time.
It was worth his life-risking effort to save that useless kid, Rosinante, on Minion Island.
It was from that day on that he truly entered Sengoku's sight and was gradually looked upon with importance.
Otherwise, how could he have gotten the chance to join Sengoku in the murky waters of the Battle of Edd War?
If he hadn't had the chance to participate, he naturally wouldn't have found the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, nor would he have earned any credit.
Thinking about this, Diarmuid once again made up his mind to cling to this important person.
Maybe in the future, he would even have a chance to take the Fleet Admiral position?
After all, Sengoku himself had said… a Marine who doesn't want to be a Fleet Admiral is not a good Marine!
Looking at the slightly excited Diarmuid, Sengoku seemed to recall his own promotions when he was younger.
He was also an ambitious person. He had struggled and fought his way through the Marines for so many years, step by step, to become an Admiral.
But his heart had never stopped. He still wanted to be the Fleet Admiral and even the Commander-in-Chief.
So, he wasn't at all disgusted by Diarmuid's undisguised "ambition."
As a Marine, was there anything wrong with pursuing a higher position, greater strength, and even more power?
No!
As long as one could adhere to the bottom line of justice while pursuing these things, it was fine.
In his opinion, Diarmuid, from some angles, was truly very similar to himself.
"From this moment on, Lieutenant Commander Diarmuid is promoted to Marine Headquarters Commodore," Sengoku said, putting his thoughts away with a smile. He then handed the document in his hand to Diarmuid.
"Yes, all for justice!" Diarmuid stood at attention and saluted.
After that, he took the promotion document.
Commodore!
He had skipped over the ranks of Commander and Captain in one go.
He had actually guessed before that since he had turned the tide of the Battle of Edd War, and the Marines had gained such a huge advantage, plus his close relationship with the higher-ups, a promotion was very likely.
But in his previous estimation, it would have been quite good if he could become a Marine Headquarters Captain. After all, at this time, Momonga and the others were only Commanders, and those guys had been at Headquarters for a few years longer than him.
He never expected that Sengoku's move would directly promote him from a field officer to a flag officer.
Even if it was the lowest rank of flag officer, a Commodore!
This was enough to excite Diarmuid. He was also very grateful. He was not yet twenty years old and had only been at Headquarters for less than half a year. He had gone from a North Blue branch Captain to a Headquarters Commodore.
If this momentum continued, would Admiral be far off?
In fact, from the very beginning, when Sengoku brought Borsalino and Diarmuid along, he had already had the thought of grooming him, thinking that if they made it in time, he could, at the very least, make Diarmuid a Commander afterward.
After all, although he had the authority to promote someone directly, on the surface, it was better to appear fair and just. So, he had to let Diarmuid accumulate some experience.
But as it turned out, Diarmuid performed too well!
If he had only performed well, Sengoku would have only given him a slight boost, making him a Marine Headquarters Captain.
That would have been the most logical and reasonable promotion.
However, because of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, Diarmuid became a promising candidate for a powerhouse. Therefore, after much thought, Sengoku finally made up his mind to promote Diarmuid all the way to the rank of "flag officer."
While "field officer" and "flag officer" are often said together, there was a huge difference between a flag officer and a field officer.
Anyone who could hang a flag officer insignia at Headquarters could be considered a pillar of the Marine Headquarters.
At the same time, entering the ranks of a flag officer, even the lowest rank of Commodore, made one eligible to participate in various meetings of the Marine high command.
In other words, from today on, if a major event like the Battle of Edd War happened again, and the Marine high command held a regular strategic meeting to discuss countermeasures, Diarmuid could legitimately participate without needing Borsalino or Sengoku's help.
This was the biggest difference between a flag officer and a field officer!
The decision-making level and the executive level!
"Arara, it took me more than a year to join the Marines and become a flag officer. I can't believe you're even faster than me, you brat," Kuzan said with a laugh, teasing Diarmuid.
He came to the Marines with his abilities. In fact, Sakazuki and Borsalino were the same. They had already become Devil Fruit users before they joined the Marines.
Therefore, after they joined the Marines, they were highly valued and received excellent training due to their powerful abilities, earning them the title of "Marine Monsters" and "New-Gen Prodigies."
But even so, it took Kuzan more than a year to be promoted to a flag officer.
And now, Diarmuid became a Commodore in one fell swoop.
"Hahaha, that's why I said you have no future with me. When we were in the hospital together, I said it wouldn't be long before I caught up with you. Now look, am I not just one step away? Rear Admiral Kuzan?" Diarmuid said with a laugh.
Zephyr gently placed his hand on Diarmuid's shoulder and said with a smile to Kuzan, "He's different from you. If you're really counting, Diarmuid has been in the Marines for almost eight years. You can't just count from the time he came to Marineford, can you?"
When Zephyr said this, everyone else also came to their senses. That's right. They were so focused on how Diarmuid became a Commodore so quickly after coming to Headquarters.
They almost forgot that this kid had been with the Marines since he was twelve. He had been a grunt and a gofer, and had worked his way up for about eight years. He could be considered a veteran Marine.
Thinking about this, everyone felt it was a normal promotion.
They didn't dwell on Diarmuid's promotion to Marine Headquarters Commodore for too long. Afterward, the credits for Kuzan, Borsalino, and others in this operation were also confirmed.
While they didn't get promoted like Diarmuid, they were all credited for their work.
Diarmuid originally thought that Kuzan would at least be promoted to Vice Admiral, after all, both Sakazuki and Borsalino were already Vice Admirals. But he wasn't.
Diarmuid later learned that it might be due to his age. Kuzan still looked young.
At Marineford, becoming a Rear Admiral wasn't a special hurdle, but to go further, you needed a lot of experience and seniority.
After all, a Vice Admiral was already part of the Marine's elite high command and had great significance. If they didn't have enough experience or seniority and made a mistake during an important operation, it would be no laughing matter.
So, unless you had earned a very significant amount of credit, it was impossible to go from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral in one go without accumulating experience and seniority.
As for Sakazuki and Borsalino, they joined the Marines two or three years before Kuzan. Sakazuki had earned significant credit, and Borsalino had accumulated a lot of experience following Sengoku. He only became a Vice Admiral a few months before Diarmuid came to Marineford.
So, Kuzan was temporarily not qualified.
After the awards and recognitions were concluded, Sengoku looked at Diarmuid. "Diarmuid, you can be considered the youngest Commodore at Marine Headquarters in recent years."
"Thank you, everyone, for your guidance," Diarmuid said seriously.
"Mm, you deserve it. You've shown that you have the value to be groomed," Sengoku said, not taking all the credit.
After a slight pause, he said seriously, "So, I'm going to give you a heads-up…"
Diarmuid was stunned for a moment, then he nodded. "Yes."
"For the time being, you don't need to think about getting a promotion in the near future," Sengoku said first.
Previously, because of Rosinante, Sengoku thought that as long as Diarmuid performed well, he wouldn't set up any hurdles for him. But he never expected him to become a Commodore so quickly. Now, if he didn't hold him back, he wouldn't be helping him; he would be harming him. That's why he made this decision.
At the same time, he secretly paid close attention to Diarmuid's expression. He saw that after he said this, Diarmuid didn't show any dissatisfaction, or even surprise. He nodded to himself in approval.
Therefore, without waiting, Sengoku continued, "You're just a little over nineteen, not even twenty. Although you've been in the Marines for a long time, you haven't received systematic training and education. Your own strength hasn't been fully developed yet. Becoming a Commodore this time is already quite an exception. So, I hope that for a while, you will suppress your desire for position and power, and focus all your efforts on improving your strength and military knowledge. Do you understand?"
Although Sengoku's words were clearly a way to hold back Diarmuid's path to promotion, Diarmuid wasn't ungrateful. He could hear the protection and care in Sengoku's words.
It was true. Even though he had been in the Marines for so many years and had joined from a young age.
His systematic learning and military knowledge were not high. In terms of strength… he now had the foundation to become a powerhouse, but he hadn't yet turned it into a real power.
These were all his weaknesses. If you were a pirate, as long as you were strong enough to fight and plunder, you were fine. But as a Marine, didn't you need some military knowledge?
"Yes, Admiral! I will definitely not fail to live up to your expectations!" Diarmuid said with a righteous tone.
Sengoku nodded with satisfaction and then looked at Zephyr. "This kid is in your hands now. You must make him a success!"
"Funny you should say that. I happen to be good at this," Zephyr said with a grin.
"Mm." Sengoku nodded first, then looked at Diarmuid again. "That being said, I promoted you to Commodore so you can legitimately participate in the high-level meetings. So, if nothing goes wrong, you won't have to go on any field missions for a short time. You should train and study hard, participate in meetings, and quickly familiarize yourself with the situation at Marineford. Use your intelligence to contribute to the Marines!"
"Yes, all for justice!" Diarmuid replied immediately.
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